Man Uses Earnings from Selling Used Items to Donate Ambulances|麵店老闆做資源回收 10年捐3輛救護車

An aspiring story on how one person can make so much difference. A Taichung resident named Wang Wen-zhi earns money by sorting and selling donated secondhand clothing and appliances, but instead of spending the money he saved in the past decade, he uses it to purchase ambulances for donation, totaling to a sum of over NT$6 million. He also says he hopes to continue working so he can donate more ambulances, and thereby helping people.


Wang Wen-zhi kneels on the ground, carefully sorting through secondhand clothing donated by the public. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Wang mans a stall at the eco-friendly section of Shuinan Market in Taichung. He sells secondhand clothing for NT$30 a piece. He has used the money he has earned over the past decade to purchase three ambulances for donation.

I was working as an environmental protection worker some 20 years ago, and I learned some things. I then began relying on the kindness of the public and sorting the clothes they donated and selling them at this flea market. I have purchased an ambulance to donate to the Fire Bureau.

Wang is 60 years old and runs a noodle shop. Ten years ago, both his son and his mother had to use ambulances to get to the hospital due to illness. These incidents instilled a deep appreciation for ambulances and rescue work in Wang. He made a vow to donate ambulances to help people. Local residents are in awe of his generosity.

Society right now really needs more people to stand up and help society, like he is doing.

Wang donated his first ambulance in 2010 to the city's Health Bureau. The second ambulance was donated in 2013 to Nantou's Lugu Township Health Center. This month, he is donating an ambulance to Taichung's Fire Bureau. The vehicle and its equipment are collectively worth NT$3.3 million.

This will be very, very helpful for our disaster relief and rescue work, as well as for our Taichung residents. The equipment inside is top-notch too. One of these ambulances costs NT$3.3 million.

Wang says he has often encountered unpleasant situations during his work, such as residents who throw their trash into recycling bins. He says people should be kind and not do this. Nevertheless, he will continue with this work, because he wants to donate even more ambulances.